#calling

Toward Wholeness Blog

Dec 12, 20193 min read

Losing and Finding Our Truest Self

You know the sayings? “Old gardeners never die; they just recede” or “Old realtors never die; they just become listless.” They’re ways...

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Richard Dahlstrom

Jul 18, 20196 min read

The Disciplines of Self Care – (Why your Oxygen mask must go on first)

Years ago I found myself in a debate over an organization’s mission statement. At the time it read, “meeting people at their point of...

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Seasons of Life and Lessons in Staying and Letting Go

Richard Dahlstrom

Dec 15, 20184 min read

Seasons of Life and Lessons in Staying and Letting Go

left to right: Martin, Director of Tauernhof, Richard, Charlie, board member of Tauernhof. “Stay a little longer” my friend Martin...

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How Naming Your Values can Change Your Life

Richard Dahlstrom

Dec 7, 20183 min read

How Naming Your Values can Change Your Life

The sad reality, though, is that the testimonies offered that day also served as a grave reminder that courage, servanthood, generosity,...

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Richard Dahlstrom

Nov 15, 20183 min read

The Fight for Hope: A Life Worth Living

My temptation in such times is what sociologists call ‘cocooning’, a tendency to withdraw into the predictability of our homes, close the...

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The thing that mustn’t change: Use Your Gifts!

Richard Dahlstrom

Oct 6, 20184 min read

The thing that mustn’t change: Use Your Gifts!

My predecessor just keep using his gifts day after day for 38 years. The difficult truth that few seem interested in hearing these days...

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“…the time we’ve been given” – The Why and How of a Personal Mission Statement

Richard Dahlstrom

Sep 29, 20184 min read

“…the time we’ve been given” – The Why and How of a Personal Mission Statement

1. Coffee. Always first: Coffee 2. Bible reading while drinking the first cup. 3. Meditation (from the Bible reading) 4. Writing in the...

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Your “Sphere of Influence” is calling and You must go

Richard Dahlstrom

Sep 6, 20184 min read

Your “Sphere of Influence” is calling and You must go

The church hasn’t been immune to this polarizing. We’ve mirrored the culture’s political tribal hatred, enough so that it’s increasingly...

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Awakening the Feminine Voice in the Church – What it means and Why it Matters

Richard Dahlstrom

Apr 7, 20184 min read

Awakening the Feminine Voice in the Church – What it means and Why it Matters

The equivalent of 5 jumbo jets worth of women die in labor each day… life time risk of maternal death is 1,000x higher in a poor country...

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Richard Dahlstrom

Mar 16, 20184 min read

A Pilgrimage to find Courage

a few of the thousands save by courage, hospitality, and generosity. Every time I travel in Europe I try to read some European history,...

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Lighten up! The value of Hope over rage, cynicism, and despondency

Richard Dahlstrom

Dec 22, 20174 min read

Lighten up! The value of Hope over rage, cynicism, and despondency

The first winter we lived in the mountains, an early storm knocked down hundreds of fir trees deep in the cascades, and those trees...

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Thanksgiving Tips for Civil Conversation: Embrace the Exile

Richard Dahlstrom

Nov 18, 20173 min read

Thanksgiving Tips for Civil Conversation: Embrace the Exile

Christ followers are exiles. Accept it. We always have been, always will be. When Paul said “maranatha” in I Corinthians 16:22 he was...

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Richard Dahlstrom

Sep 28, 20172 min read

Are you running to Win?

You are God’s uniquely handcrafted beautiful creation. You have gifts to bring to our darkening and weary world, and that means you...

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“Steal, Kill, and Destroy” – Your Time’s Been Stolen!

Richard Dahlstrom

Jul 13, 20174 min read

“Steal, Kill, and Destroy” – Your Time’s Been Stolen!

You’ve been ripped off I mean to live this year as if it were my last, and will hate every time I fall below that standard and fritter...

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Richard Dahlstrom

Jul 6, 20174 min read

Fire: Getting it and Keeping it

Before burning season is over, though, we’re already on the prowl for new wood for the next season. It must be found, cut into pieces...

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United Airlines, Holy Week, and Missing the Forest for the trees

Richard Dahlstrom

Apr 12, 20174 min read

United Airlines, Holy Week, and Missing the Forest for the trees

Behavior needs to match mission, right? They did it “according to the book”. With too many passengers and not enough seats, they asked...

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The Gifts of Christmas #4: Jesus breaks dividing walls

Richard Dahlstrom

Dec 16, 20163 min read

The Gifts of Christmas #4: Jesus breaks dividing walls

With fears of “the other” on the rise, a look at Jesus life, from beginning to end, is like a drink of fresh cold water in the midst of...

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Playlists – Memorial Stones for the 21st Century

Richard Dahlstrom

Sep 1, 20165 min read

Playlists – Memorial Stones for the 21st Century

retrieving our car meant enjoying this view again today! My wife and I recently returned from a beautiful adventure, hiking 50 miles of...

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“Adventures in Saying Yes” was the best read of the summer because…

Richard Dahlstrom

Aug 18, 20163 min read

“Adventures in Saying Yes” was the best read of the summer because…

“Speaking of Jesus”, which is one of my favorite books, precisely because the author has a knack for telling people about Jesus as if...

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5 Sentences: The Wisest Advice I’ve ever Received

Richard Dahlstrom

Feb 27, 20154 min read

5 Sentences: The Wisest Advice I’ve ever Received

1. Make knowing God the number one priority in your life. This was the word spoken to me from Jeremiah 9 when I was 20 years old and I...

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